O'Brien class destroyer - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The O'Brien class of destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

s was a class

Ship class

A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....

of six ships designed by and built for the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

shortly before the United States entered World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. The O'Brien class was the third of five classes of destroyers that were known as the "thousand tonners", because they were the first U.S. destroyers over 1000 long tons (1,016 MT) displacement

Displacement (ship)

A ship's displacement is its weight at any given time, generally expressed in metric tons or long tons. The term is often used to mean the ship's weight when it is loaded to its maximum capacity. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight, such as loaded displacement, full load...

.

The design of what became the O'Brien class was the result of discussions between the General Board of the United States Navy

General Board of the United States Navy

The General Board of the United States Navy was an advisory body of the United States Navy, effectively a naval general staff. The General Board was established by general order 544, issued on March 13, 1900 by John Davis Long. The order was officially recognized by Congress in 1916...

and the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Ordnance

Bureau of Ordnance

The Bureau of Ordnance was the U.S. Navy's organization responsible for the procurement, storage, and deployment of all naval ordnance, between the years 1862 and 1959.-History:...

. What resulted was a design that was an incremental development of the , which itself was similar to the first of the thousand tonners, the (which displaced about a third more than the preceding ). The key difference in the O'Brien class was the increase in torpedo size, going up to 21 inches (533 mm) from the preceding classes' 18 inches (457 mm) torpedoes.

The ships had a median displacement of 1050 long tons (1,066.9 MT), were just over 305 feet (93 m) in length, and had a beam

Beam (nautical)

The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...

of about 31 feet (9.4 m). All of the ships had two direct-drive steam turbine

Steam turbine

A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....

s and a combination of other engines for cruising at speeds less than 15 knots. All of the ships were designed for a maximum speed of 29 knots. As built, they were armed with four 4 inches (102 mm) guns and had four twin 21-inch torpedo tube

Torpedo tube

A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...

s with a load of eight torpedo

Torpedo

The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...

es, but all were later equipped with depth charge

Depth charge

A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...

s. The ships were built by four private American shipyards—Bath Iron Works

Bath Iron Works

Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...

, Fore River Shipbuilding Company, New York Shipbuilding Corporation, and William Cramp and Sons

William Cramp and Sons

thumb | upright | 1899 advertisement for William Cramp & Sons William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company of Philadelphia was founded in 1825 by William Cramp, and was the preeminent U.S. iron shipbuilder in the 19th century. The American Ship & Commerce Corporation bought the yard in 1919 but closed...

—and were laid down between September and November 1913; launched between April 1914 and February 1915; and commissioned into the U.S. Navy between June 1914 and August 1915.

All six ships operated in the Atlantic or Caribbean until the U.S. entrance into World War I in April 1917, when all six were sent overseas to Queenstown, Ireland, for convoy escort duties. Several of the ships rescued passengers and crew from ships sunk by U-boats, and several had encounters with U-boats themselves; helped sink in November 1917, the first U-boat sunk by the U.S. Navy. All six members of the class had returned to the United States in January 1919 and were decommissioned by June 1922. In 1924, two of the six— and —were commissioned into the United States Coast Guard

United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

to help enforce Prohibition

Prohibition in the United States

Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...

as a part of the "Rum Patrol

Rum Patrol

The Rum Patrol was an operation of the United States Coast Guard to interdict liquor smuggling vessels, known as "rum runners" in order to enforce prohibition in American waters. On 18 December 1917, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution was submitted to the states by Congress...

". They were returned to U.S. Navy custody in 1932 and 1933, respectively. All six ships had been sold for scrapping

Ship breaking

Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially...

by June 1936.

Background

For the 1913 fiscal year, the General Board of the United States Navy

General Board of the United States Navy

determined that six destroyers would be authorized. The design for Destroyers No. 51 through No. 56—what became the O'Brien class, was to closely follow the design of the and es from fiscal year 1912. The chief of the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Ordnance

Bureau of Ordnance

The Bureau of Ordnance was the U.S. Navy's organization responsible for the procurement, storage, and deployment of all naval ordnance, between the years 1862 and 1959.-History:...

(BuOrd) suggested that the new destroyers be equipped with ten torpedo tube

Torpedo tube

s and urged that the new 21 inches (533 mm) torpedo

Torpedo

be adopted. The General Board agreed in principle, adopting the 21-inch torpedo tubes, but eliminated BuOrd's proposed centerline torpedo tubes and keeping the number of tubes at eight, the same as the Cassin and Aylwin classes. The additional weight of the larger torpedoes, 5 long tons (5.1 MT) of top weight, was offset by reducing the planned two aft-facing guns to a single one. This gave the class four 4 inches (102 mm) guns, which, again, matched the battery

Artillery battery

In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...

of the Cassin and Aylwin classes. The design for the O'Brien class was approved on 20 August 1912, and authorized by Congress on 4 March 1913.

Design

As built, the O'Brien class ships were 305 in 5 in (93.09 m) in length (overall), were 31 in 2 in (9.5 m) abeam, and had a standard draft of 9 in 6 in (2.9 m). The hull shape featured the distinctive high forecastle typical of U.S. destroyer classes since the 1908–09 , the first destroyers designed to be truly ocean-going vessels. The ships displaced between 1020 and 1090 LT (1,036.4 and 1,107.5 MT) with a median of 1050 long tons (1,066.9 MT).

The ships were equipped with two propeller shafts and two direct-drive, Zoelly steam turbine

Steam turbine

s fed by four White-Forster boilers. The power plant of the ships generated 17000 shp which drive the ships to the design speed of 29 knots. Because of inherent inefficiency of turbines at low speeds,While turbines were most efficient at high speeds, propellers were most efficient at low speeds. Turbines directly connected to the propeller shafts—as was the case with the main turbines of all the O'Brien ships—were particularly inefficient at low speeds. See: Friedman, pp. 25, 27. all of the ships were equipped with supplemental cruising engines for travel at speeds under 15 knots. All except were equipped with supplemental triple-expansion reciprocating engines: , , and each had a pair of reciprocating engines for cruising; and were outfitted with only one. Instead of reciprocating engines, Cushing was equipped with a pair of geared steam turbines for cruising.

The main battery

Artillery battery

of the O'Brien class consisted of four 4 inches (101.6 mm)/50 Mark 9 guns,The 50 denotes the length of the gun barrels; in this case, the gun is 50 calibers, meaning that the gun is 50 times as long as it is in diameter, 200 inches (5.1 m) in this case. The Mark number is the version of the gun; in this case, the ninth U.S. Navy design of the 4-inch/50 gun. with each gun weighing in excess of 6100 lbs. The guns fired 33 lbs armor-piercing

Armor-piercing shot and shell

An armor-piercing shell is a type of ammunition designed to penetrate armor. From the 1860s to 1950s, a major application of armor-piercing projectiles was to defeat the thick armor carried on many warships. From the 1920s onwards, armor-piercing weapons were required for anti-tank missions...

projectile

Projectile

A projectile is any object projected into space by the exertion of a force. Although a thrown baseball is technically a projectile too, the term more commonly refers to a weapon....

s at 2900 feet per second (883.9 m/s). At an elevation

Elevation (ballistics)

In ballistics, the elevation is the angle between the horizontal plane and the direction of the barrel of a gun, mortar or heavy artillery. Originally, elevation was a linear measure of how high the gunners had to physically lift the muzzle of a gun up from the gun carriage to hit targets at a...

of 20°, the guns had a range of 15920 yards.

The O'Brien ships were also equipped with four twin 21 inches (533 mm) torpedo tube

Torpedo tube

s, for a total load of eight torpedoes. Although the General Board had called for two anti-aircraft guns

Anti-aircraft warfare

NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...

for the O'Brien class, they were not originally outfitted with the weapons; the later was the first American destroyer class so armed. Likewise, there is no record of any of the O'Brien ships being outfitted with mine-laying apparatus. During World War I, most American destroyers were used in anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....

roles, and were equipped with depth charge

Depth charge

s and delivery systems, such as Y-guns and depth charge racks. O'Brien-class ships were equipped with depth charges during the war, but no specific mentions of the types of depth charges used or delivery system are recorded in secondary sources.

Comparisons with other "thousand tonners"

The "thousand tonners" were the 26 United States Navy destroyers of five classes—Cassin, , O'Brien, , and Sampson—so named because they were the first U.S. Navy destroyers to have displacements greater than 1,000 long tons.The is considered a part of the by Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906–1921 (p. 122), but is classed separately by the United States Navy. See, for example, The Cassin class, the first of the thousand tonners, displaced about a third more than the preceding . The introduction of the thousand tonners led to the Pauldings and other older, smaller displacement destroyers of previous classes to be dismissively called "flivvers", a nickname also commonly applied to the Ford Model T

Ford Model T

The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...

.According to Cashman (p. 278), a flivver—a portmanteau of "for the liver"—was any small, inexpensive automobile that shook the liver while in motion.

The O'Brien class was the third of the five classes of "thousand tonners". The earlier Cassin- (DD-43 to DD-46) and Aylwin-class (DD-47 to DD-50) ships were about the same length as the O'Brien ships and all had median displacements in the range of 1020–1050 LT (1,036.4–1,066.9 MT); the later Tucker- (DD-57 to DD-62) and Sampson-class (DD-63 to DD-68) ships were about 10 feet (3 m) longer and had median displacements of 1090–1100 LT (1,107.5–1,117.7 MT). All five classes were armed with four 4 inches (102 mm) guns, but the torpedo size and complement varied. All were equipped with four twin torpedo tube

Torpedo tube

s loaded with eight torpedo

Torpedo

es except for the Sampsons (which had four triple tubes carrying twelve torpedoes), but the Cassin and Aylwin classes were armed with 18 inches (457 mm) torpedoes. The O'Brien ships were the first armed with 21 inches (533 mm) torpedoes; the Tucker and Sampson ships also used the 21-inch torpedoes. The Sampsons were the only group originally equipped with anti-aircraft guns

Anti-aircraft warfare

, a pair of 1 pdr guns

QF 1 pounder pom-pom

The QF 1 pounder, universally known as the pom-pom, was an early 37 mm British autocannon. It was used by several countries initially as an infantry gun and later as a light anti-aircraft gun. The name comes from the sound it makes when firing....

with a caliber

Caliber

In guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....

of 37 mm (1.46 in).

Construction

The construction of the six O'Brien-class ships was allocated to four U.S. shipbuilders. William Cramp

William Cramp and Sons

constructed a trio of O'Brien destroyers, while the Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Bath Iron Works

Bath Iron Works

, and New York Shipbuilding Corporation built one ship each. The keel

Keel

In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...

s for all six ships were laid down between July and November 1913, with being the first and the last. All were launched between April 1915 and January 1915, with McDougal again being the first and being the last. McDougal was commissioned in June 1914, two months after her launch; the rest were commissioned between April and August 1915, with the final ship to enter service. The cost of each ship for hull and machinery was $790,000.The hull-and-machinery cost does not include the costs of any weapons.

Ships in class

All six members of the class served in the Atlantic or Caribbean throughout their U.S. Navy careers. In October 1916, with the United States still neutral in World War I

World War I

, five of the six class members (all except Nicholson) were among the U.S. destroyers sent out to rescue survivors from five ships torpedoed by German submarine off the Lightship Nantucket

Lightship Nantucket

The Lightship Nantucket station was the name given to the lightvessel which marked the hazardous Nantucket Shoals in Massachusetts. Several ships have been commissioned and served at the Nantucket Shoals lightship station and have been called Nantucket...

.

After the United States entered the war in April 1917, all six class members were sent overseas to Queenstown, Ireland, for convoy escort and anti-submarine

Anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....

duties. McDougal was in the first group of six American destroyers that arrived at Queenstown on 4 May; Ericsson and Winslow followed in the second group, which arrived thirteen days later, and Cushing, Nicholson, and O'Brien in the third group, a week after that. Several of the ships had encounters with U-boats during the war: Nicholson, working with in November 1917, helped to sink , which was the first U-boat sunk by the U.S. Navy; earlier, in June, O'Brien had depth-charged and was thought by the British Admiralty to have seriously damaged the U-boat, but post-war analysis of records showed that U-16 survived the attack and returned safely to port.

All six ships returned to the United States in January 1919 and served in various roles over the next two years. Cushing was decommissioned in August 1920, followed by Nicholson and McDougal in May 1922, and the remaining three in the following month. In June 1924, two of the six ships—Ericsson and McDougal—were reactivated for service with the United States Coast Guard

United States Coast Guard

's "Rum Patrol

Rum Patrol

". Ericsson was returned to the U.S. Navy in May 1932, and McDougal in June 1933; both were sold for scrapping

Ship breaking

in 1934. O'Brien was sold for scrapping in 1935, and the remaining three in June 1936.

USS O'Brien (DD-51)

USS O'Brien (Destroyer No. 51/DD-51) was laid down by William Cramp and Sons

William Cramp and Sons

of Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

in September 1913 and launched in July 1914. The ship was the second U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of Jeremiah O'Brien

Jeremiah O'Brien

Captain Jeremiah O’Brien was a captain in the Massachusetts State Navy. Prior to its existence Captain Jeremiah O’Brien (1744–1818) was a captain in the Massachusetts State Navy. Prior to its existence Captain Jeremiah O’Brien (1744–1818) was a captain in the Massachusetts State...

and his five brothers, Gideon, John, William, Dennis, and Joseph who, together on the sloop Unity, captured a British warship during the American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

. After O'Briens May 1915 commissioning, she sailed off the east coast

East Coast of the United States

The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...

and in the Caribbean. She was one of the U.S. destroyers sent out to rescue survivors from five victims of German submarine U-53 off the Lightship Nantucket in October 1916. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, O'Brien was sent overseas to patrol the Irish Sea

Irish Sea

The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...

out of Queenstown, Ireland.

After returning to the United States in January 1919, O'Brien returned to European waters in May to serve as one of the picket ships for the NC-type

NC-4

The NC-4 was a Curtiss NC flying boat which was designed by Glenn Curtiss and his team, and manufactured by Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. In May 1919, the NC-4 became the first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, starting in the United States and making the crossing as far as Lisbon,...

seaplane

Seaplane

A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...

s in the first aerial crossing of the Atlantic. O'Brien was decommissioned at Philadelphia in June 1922. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register

Naval Vessel Register

The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...

in March 1935 sold for scrapping

Ship breaking

in April.

USS Nicholson (DD-52)

USS Nicholson (Destroyer No. 52/DD-52) was laid down by William Cramp and Sons of Philadelphia in September 1913 and launched in August 1914. The ship was the second U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of five members of the Nicholson family who gave distinguished service in the American Revolutionary War, the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

, and the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

: brothers James

James Nicholson (naval officer)

James Nicholson was an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War.The son of Joseph and Hannah Scott Nicholson, he was born in Chestertown, Maryland. James Nicholson served in the colonial Navy with the British in the assault on Havana in 1762, and was commissioned...

, Samuel

Samuel Nicholson

Samuel Nicholson was an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and later in the United States Navy. -Early life:...

, and John Nicholson

John Nicholson (naval officer)

John Nicholson was an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War.The son of Joseph and Hannah Scott Nicholson, he was born in Chestertown, Maryland. John Nicholson entered the Continental Navy as Lieutenant in October 1776 and the next month was promoted to Captain to...

; William Nicholson

William Nicholson (naval officer)

William Carmichael Nicholson was an officer in the United States Navy during the War of 1812 and the Civil War.A native of Maryland, Nicholson was the son of naval officer John Nicholson...

, son of John; and James W. Nicholson

James W. Nicholson

Rear Admiral James William Augustus Nicholson was an officer in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.-Biography:...

, grandson of Samuel. After Nicholsons April 1915 commissioning, she sailed off the east coast and in the Caribbean. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Nicholson was sent overseas to patrol the Irish Sea out of Queenstown, Ireland. In October 1917, Nicholson steamed to the rescue of , driving off German submarine , which had shelled the American cargo ship

Cargo ship

A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...

for over three hours. In November, Nicholson and another U.S. destroyer, , were responsible for sinking German submarine , the first submarine taken by U.S. forces during the war. In September 1918, Nicholson helped drive off after that U-boat had torpedoed the American troopship off the coast of France.

Upon returning to the United States after the war, Nicholson was placed in reduced commission in November 1919. She was decommissioned at Philadelphia in May 1922. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in January 1936 sold for scrapping in June.

USS Winslow (DD-53)

USS Winslow (Destroyer No. 53/DD-53) was laid down by William Cramp and Sons of Philadelphia in October 1913 and launched in February 1915. The ship was the second U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of John Ancrum Winslow

John Ancrum Winslow

Rear Admiral John Ancrum Winslow was an officer in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War...

, a U.S. Navy officer notable for sinking the Confederate

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

commerce raider during the American Civil War. After Winslows August 1915 commissioning, she sailed off the east coast and in the Caribbean. She was one of the U.S. destroyers sent out to rescue survivors from five victims of German submarine U-53 off the Lightship Nantucket in October 1916. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Winslow was sent overseas to patrol the Irish Sea out of Queenstown, Ireland. Winslow made several unsuccessful attacks on U-boats, and rescued survivors of several ships sunk by the German craft.

Upon returning to the United States after the war, Winslow was placed in reduced commission in December 1919. She was decommissioned at Philadelphia in June 1922. In November she dropped her name to free it for a new destroyer of the same name

USS Winslow (DD-359)

The third USS Winslow was a in the United States Navy. She was named for Rear Admiral John Ancrum Winslow and Cameron McRae Winslow....

, becoming known only as DD-53. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in January 1936 sold for scrapping in June.

USS McDougal (DD-54)

USS McDougal (Destroyer No. 54/DD-54) was laid down by Bath Iron Works

Bath Iron Works

of Bath, Maine

Bath, Maine

Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...

, in July 1913 and launched in April 1914. The ship was the second U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of David Stockton McDougal

David McDougal

David Stockton McDougal was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War most noted for his leadership during a naval battle off of Japan.-Biography:...

, a U.S. Navy officer notable for his leadership during an 1863 battle off Japan while in command of . After McDougals June 1914 commissioning, she sailed off the east coast and in the Caribbean. She was one of the U.S. destroyers sent out to rescue survivors from five victims of German submarine U-53 off the Lightship Nantucket in October 1916, and carried 6 crewmen from a sunken Dutch cargo ship to Newport, Rhode Island

Newport, Rhode Island

Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...

. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, McDougal was part of the first U.S. destroyer squadron sent overseas. Patrolling the Irish Sea out of Queenstown, Ireland, McDougal made several unsuccessful attacks on U-boats, and rescued survivors of ships sunk by the German craft. After a collision with a British cargo ship in February 1918, McDougal was under repair until mid-July, and afterwards, operated out of Brest, France

Brest, France

Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...

.

Upon returning to the United States after the war, McDougal conducted operations with the destroyers of the Atlantic Fleet until August 1919, when she was placed in reserve, still in commission. After a brief stint of operations in mid 1921, she was placed in reserve until she was decommissioned at Philadelphia in May 1922. In June 1924, Ericsson was transferred to the United States Coast Guard

United States Coast Guard

to help enforce Prohibition

Prohibition in the United States

as a part of the "Rum Patrol

Rum Patrol

". She operated under the name USCGC McDougal (CG-6) until May 1933, when she was returned to the Navy. In November she dropped her name to free it for a new destroyer of the same name

USS McDougal (DD-358)

The second USS McDougal was a in the United States Navy. She named for Rear Admiral David Stockton McDougal.McDougal was laid down by New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey, 18 December 1933; launched 17 July 1936; sponsored by Miss Caroline McDougal Neilson; and commissioned 23...

, becoming known only as DD-54. She was struck for the Naval Vessel Register in July 1934 sold for scrapping in August.

USS Cushing (DD-55)

USS Cushing (Destroyer No. 55/DD-55) was laid down by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company of Quincy, Massachusetts

Quincy, Massachusetts

Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...

, in September 1913 and launched in January 1915. The ship was the second U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of William B. Cushing

William B. Cushing

William Barker Cushing was an officer in the United States Navy, best known for sinking the Confederate ironclad CSS Albemarle during a daring nighttime raid on October 27, 1864, a feat for which he received the Thanks of Congress.-Early life and career:Cushing was born in Delafield, Wisconsin,...

, a U.S. Navy officer best known for sinking the Confederate ironclad warship

Ironclad warship

An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship in the early part of the second half of the 19th century, protected by iron or steel armor plates. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, La Gloire,...

during the American Civil War. After Cushings August 1915 commissioning, she sailed off the east coast and in the Caribbean. She was one of the U.S. destroyers sent out to rescue survivors from five victims of German submarine U-53 off the Lightship Nantucket in October 1916. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Cushing was sent overseas to patrol the Irish Sea out of Queenstown, Ireland. Cushing made several unsuccessful attacks on U-boats, and rescued survivors of several ships sunk by the German craft.

Upon returning to the United States after the war, Cushing was placed in reserve in reduced commission. She was decommissioned at Philadelphia in August 1920. She was struck for the Naval Vessel Register in January 1936 and was sold for scrapping in June.

USS Ericsson (DD-56)

USS Ericsson (Destroyer No. 56/DD-56) was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding of Camden, New Jersey

Camden, New Jersey

The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...

, in November 1913 and launched in August of the following year. The ship was the second U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of John Ericsson

John Ericsson

John Ericsson was a Swedish-American inventor and mechanical engineer, as was his brother Nils Ericson. He was born at Långbanshyttan in Värmland, Sweden, but primarily came to be active in England and the United States...

, the Swedish-born builder of the ironclad warship during the American Civil War. After Ericssons May 1916 commissioning, she sailed off the east coast and in the Caribbean. She was one of the U.S. destroyers sent out to rescue survivors from five victims of German submarine U-53 off the Lightship Nantucket in October 1916, and carried 81 passengers from a sunken British ocean liner to Newport, Rhode Island. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Ericsson was part of the first U.S. destroyer squadron sent overseas. Patrolling the Irish Sea out of Queenstown, Ireland, Ericsson made several unsuccessful attacks on U-boats, and rescued survivors of several ships sunk by the German craft.

Upon returning to the United State after the war, Ericsson conducted operations with the destroyers of the Atlantic Fleet until August 1919, when she was placed in reserve, still in commission. After a brief stint of operations in mid 1921, she was placed in reserve until she was decommissioned at Philadelphia in June 1922. In June 1924, Ericsson was transferred to the United States Coast Guard to help enforce Prohibition as a part of the "Rum Patrol". She operated under the name USCGC Ericsson (CG-5) until May 1932, when she was returned to the Navy. She was sold for scrap in August 1934.

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